Composition of matter for use in making artificial stone



' Cross UNITED STATES Reference PATENT OFFICE.

MAX JUNGHANDEL, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA,

No Drawing.

T 0 all @011 am it may concern 7.

'Be it known that I. Max JUNGHANDEL,-

having declared my intention to become a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Composition of Matter for Use in Making Artificial Stone, of which the following is a description.

My invention relates to a composition of matter for use in making artificial stone and has for its object to provide a composition of matter for this purpose which will be inexpensive and can be readily cast or molded into slabs or blocks, will be relatively light in weight, will be durable, will have high fire retarding qualities, will have hi h insulating qualities as regards heat, co (1 and sound, JVlll set and harden uniformly throughoutthe mass with more than usual rapidity and without liability to distortion or surfacecracking, and will be free fromliabilit to injury from the expansion and contraction due to changes of temperature.

\Vith the above explained objects and other objects hereinafter ex lained in view -my invention consists in t e composltlon of matter hereinafter described and claimed.

In the manufacture of artificial stone articularly in the form of slabs or blocks it is usual to mix the cement which forms the basis of the mixture with sand or gravel or both sand and gravel as aggregate and to pour or cast the mixture with, of course, water enough to make a mixture of the proper consistency into-molds. Sand-and gravel are rigid and unyielding materials and do not present surfaces to which either air or any considerable amount of water will cling so that they do not carry into the mass Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 28,1920.

Application filed August 11, 1519. Serial No. 316.588.

aggregate forms a solid mass throughout 1n the interior of which the process of setting and hardening proceeds much more slowly than it does at and near the surface so that in slabs or blocks of any conslderably thickness there is great liability to surface cracking. The com leted slab or .block being solld and unyie ding throughout its mass, the expansion and contraction due to changes ,in temperature is not taken up interiorlyland the result is crackingof the slab or ock.

These difficulties in the use of cement with a rigid aggregate such as sand or gravel are overcome by-the use of the composition ofmy invention. -I use instead of the rigid. inelastic, unyielding aggregate an aggregate which is elastic and yielding due in part to the character of the material used and in part to its form. The material which 'I find particularly desirable is the hulls of 52...- Ric hulls are largely com oseEl of silica, and other inorganic materia and are of capsular form and when once thorougly dried tend to retain this form and even when broken up by grinding the pieces tend to retain their original form and if distorted by pressure tend to spring back into their vention I take any good cement such as Portland, Roman, ox -ch l o i id on other,.cement.

"tii'it no any air and carry comparatively little water. and mix w1 hulls, pwmmd In the ptocess of setting and hardeningthe or calclned or other of the a ove described cement takes up water and expands and, as the aggregate is rigid and incompressible, the expansion is not taken up within the mass but causes the slab or block as a whole to expand. This expansion in the process of setting and hardening is, in the case of slabs or blocks of any considerable size, so great that it forces the sides of the mold outward or, if the sides of the mold are rigidly held against outward movement, causes the slab or block to buckle or become distorted and cracked. Sand or gravel as.

is formed being preferablyfof glass if a,

smooth finish is desired, and the composition is allowed to set and harden.

The elastic, capsular material above de- 'it is still more highly contains nothing which will burn. The

of definite dimensions will not expand to.

such. an extent as to cause buckling or cracking or to force the sides ofthe mold outward. The rice hulls or other above described elastic, capsular material by reason of the concave form and large surface presented by the pieces or fragments of which it is made up carries with it into-the mixture more or less finely divided air and also considerable water both of which aid materially in cau sing thecement to set uniformly throughout.

the mass so that the cement in the interior sets and hardens nearly or uite as rapidly as on or near the surface tius preventing any tendency to surface cracking or check:

ing. More or less of the air carried into the mass by the particles of the elastic, capsular material remains forming minute cells which are non-conducting and aid in rendering the slab or block a good insulator as regards sound as'well as heat and cold.

Ther'rce hulls or other described material being largely composed of'inorganic material; is hard and durable and even if not calcined is highly fire resistant. If calcined fire resistant as it slab or block made of my composition as above described will not crack from the expansion and contraction due to changes in temperature as theaggregate retains sufiicient of its elasticity to take up the expansion and permit of the contraction without injury.

Vhile the composition of my invention is particularly adapted for use in making slabs or blocks for use in flooring or in side walls it is equally well adapted for use in making the walls of houses or other structures.

Rice and other grain hulls being of no practical value for other uses are very inexpensive. They are also of very light weight so that used as aggregate theproduct is relatively very light as compared with the product made with sand or gravel. 7

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1 The herein described composition of matter for use in making artificial stone consisting essentially of cement and an aggregate of elastic, capsular material.

21 The herein described composition of matter for use in making artificial stone consisting essentially of cement and an aggregate of rice hulls.

3. The herein described composition of matter for use in making artificial stone consisting essentially of cement and an aggregate of fragments of rice hulls.

4. The herein described composition of matter for use in making artificial stone consisting essentially of cement and an aggregate of calcined rice hulls.

Intestimony whereof I aiiix my signature I this second day of August, 1919.

MAX J UNGHANDEL. 

